Origin

English has several unrelated words spelled mole. The oldest refers to a small blemish on the skin; in Old English this meant ‘a discoloured spot on cloth’. Next to appear was the mole that now means ‘a structure serving as a pier, breakwater, or causeway’, which goes back to Latin moles ‘mass’ (the earliest sense in English) which also lies behind demolish (mid 16th century). The mole that is a burrowing animal stayed underground until the later Middle Ages, and went under other names before then—in Old English it was a want, and then also a mouldwarp. The novels of John le Carré popularized the term mole for a spy who gradually achieves an important position within the security defences of a country: it first appeared in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy in 1974. The world of espionage seems to have adopted the use from le Carré, rather than vice versa. See also mountain

Origin

English has several unrelated words spelled mole. The oldest refers to a small blemish on the skin; in Old English this meant ‘a discoloured spot on cloth’. Next to appear was the mole that now means ‘a structure serving as a pier, breakwater, or causeway’, which goes back to Latin moles ‘mass’ (the earliest sense in English) which also lies behind demolish (mid 16th century). The mole that is a burrowing animal stayed underground until the later Middle Ages, and went under other names before then—in Old English it was a want, and then also a mouldwarp. The novels of John le Carré popularized the term mole for a spy who gradually achieves an important position within the security defences of a country: it first appeared in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy in 1974. The world of espionage seems to have adopted the use from le Carré, rather than vice versa. See also mountain

Origin

English has several unrelated words spelled mole. The oldest refers to a small blemish on the skin; in Old English this meant ‘a discoloured spot on cloth’. Next to appear was the mole that now means ‘a structure serving as a pier, breakwater, or causeway’, which goes back to Latin moles ‘mass’ (the earliest sense in English) which also lies behind demolish (mid 16th century). The mole that is a burrowing animal stayed underground until the later Middle Ages, and went under other names before then—in Old English it was a want, and then also a mouldwarp. The novels of John le Carré popularized the term mole for a spy who gradually achieves an important position within the security defences of a country: it first appeared in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy in 1974. The world of espionage seems to have adopted the use from le Carré, rather than vice versa. See also mountain

Origin

English has several unrelated words spelled mole. The oldest refers to a small blemish on the skin; in Old English this meant ‘a discoloured spot on cloth’. Next to appear was the mole that now means ‘a structure serving as a pier, breakwater, or causeway’, which goes back to Latin moles ‘mass’ (the earliest sense in English) which also lies behind demolish (mid 16th century). The mole that is a burrowing animal stayed underground until the later Middle Ages, and went under other names before then—in Old English it was a want, and then also a mouldwarp. The novels of John le Carré popularized the term mole for a spy who gradually achieves an important position within the security defences of a country: it first appeared in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy in 1974. The world of espionage seems to have adopted the use from le Carré, rather than vice versa. See also mountain

Origin

English has several unrelated words spelled mole. The oldest refers to a small blemish on the skin; in Old English this meant ‘a discoloured spot on cloth’. Next to appear was the mole that now means ‘a structure serving as a pier, breakwater, or causeway’, which goes back to Latin moles ‘mass’ (the earliest sense in English) which also lies behind demolish (mid 16th century). The mole that is a burrowing animal stayed underground until the later Middle Ages, and went under other names before then—in Old English it was a want, and then also a mouldwarp. The novels of John le Carré popularized the term mole for a spy who gradually achieves an important position within the security defences of a country: it first appeared in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy in 1974. The world of espionage seems to have adopted the use from le Carré, rather than vice versa. See also mountain

Origin

English has several unrelated words spelled mole. The oldest refers to a small blemish on the skin; in Old English this meant ‘a discoloured spot on cloth’. Next to appear was the mole that now means ‘a structure serving as a pier, breakwater, or causeway’, which goes back to Latin moles ‘mass’ (the earliest sense in English) which also lies behind demolish (mid 16th century). The mole that is a burrowing animal stayed underground until the later Middle Ages, and went under other names before then—in Old English it was a want, and then also a mouldwarp. The novels of John le Carré popularized the term mole for a spy who gradually achieves an important position within the security defences of a country: it first appeared in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy in 1974. The world of espionage seems to have adopted the use from le Carré, rather than vice versa. See also mountain